The instant invention relates to apparatus for inserting documents into envelopes, and more particularly to "fingers" that are used to hold the envelope open during the time that the documents are inserted into the envelope.
Inserting machines typically feed and collate a plurality of enclosures and then insert the collated enclosures into a waiting envelope. Inserting machines are used with a wide range of enclosure thicknesses and also with enclosures which are not significantly different in length than the length of the envelopes into which they are inserted. The difference between the length of the enclosures and the envelope should be minimized so that the addressing information printed on the enclosures which is intended to appear in the envelope window does not shift in position and become hidden. Guide fingers for opening an envelope are known which rotate into the envelope after the envelope has been properly located. However, conventional, rotating guide fingers typically require operator intervention in order to accommodate a range of enclosure thicknesses and envelope depths. Obviously, operator intervention is costly in terms of down time of the inserter and the effort required on the part of the operator.
The instant invention provides rotating guide fingers which open an envelope and are so shaped that they can accommodate a range of envelope depths and enclosure thicknesses without the need for an operator to intervene to adjust any of the inserter apparatus, and which can open envelopes which are not significantly longer in length than the enclosures to be inserted therein.